Time lock for automobiles



A. W. LYDA. TIME LOCK FOR AUTOMOBILES. APPLICATION .FILED JUNE H3, 1920-1,415,885; Patented May 16, 1922.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ARTHUR W. LYDA, OF NORTH CANTON, OHIO.-

TIME LOOK FOR nut roivronrnns.

specification of Letters Patent. Patgntea lu 16 1922 Application filedJune 18, 1920; Serial No. 389,977.

time locks and more particularly to a time lock especially; adapted foruse on automobiles to lock a switch in an electric circuit to preventmovement of the vehicle until apredetermined time.

The objects of the invention are the provision of a time lockcontrolling a switch in an electric circuit from the, battery andmagneto, a solenoid controlling a throttle valve in the intake manifoldin the engine being also included in said circuit. I

These objects together with other objects are attained by providing aclock mechanism having any usual and well known time operated mechanismcontained therein and located adjacent to a. switch in an electriccircuit from the battery and magneto, a

solenoid controlling the operation of a valve in the intake manifoldbeing also included in said circuit, means being provided for openingsaid switch and holding the same locked in the open position until suchtime as the time mechanism upon the clock is set to operate at whichtime the switchwill be automatically closed.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of parts, hereinafter described,illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointed outin the appended claims, it being understood that various changes in theform, proportions, size and.

minor details of construction may be made within the scope oftheappended claims, without departing from the spirit or sacristrumentboard showing the mechanism in elevation.

Fig. 3 is a rear elevation of the mechanism, parts beingbroken away forthe purpose of illustration.-

Fig. 4 is a sectional view through a portion of the switch.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view of the wiring ofthe device.

A practical embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification in which similar numeralsof reference indicate, corresponding views.

The instrument board of an automobile is indicated bythe numeral 1 andthe clock 2 is housed within the instrument board, being preferablyprovided wit-h an annular flange 3 by means of which the clock ispermanently attached to the instrument board.

The clock 2 may be of any usual or well known design of time or alarmclock and is provided with the small dial 4 having the indicating hands5 which may be set at any predetermined time to automatically operatethe alarm mechanism in the usual manner. A stem 6 is provided forsetting the alarm mechanism and this stemis preferably removable inorder that the mechanism may not be tampered with after the timemechaparts throughout the several nism is set.

The battery is indicated by the numeral-7 and the magneto by the numeral8, the wires 9 and 10 being connected to the battery and to the, magnetothe wire 9 being connected by means of the wire 11 to the solenoid 13,the armature 14 of which is pivotally connected, by means of the link15, with anarm 16 which is rigidly attached to the butterfly valve 17located in the intake manifold 18 of the engine.

The wire leads to the switch member 19 upon which is located a pivotedswitch arm 21, said arm being normally held in contact a contact point12 by means of the wire 12,

a wire 1O connecting the wire 10 with a similar contact point 12*. Aspring. 14 is located around the armature and interposed between thesolenoid and thrust collar 1 3 to normally ur -e the armature into theposition shown in 4 ig. 5 to hold the valve 17 in the open position.

A plunger 23 is slidably mounted through the top of the instrument boardand through adoearing bracket 24; and is provided with a thrust collar25 being fixed upon said plunger between the bearing and the top of theinstrument board, a. coil spring 26 being located around the plungerbetween the bearing and said collar to normally hold the collar inengagement with the instrument board holding the head 27 oi the plungernormally out of engagement with the arms 21 oi the switch.

The plunger is provided with a notch 28 arranged to be engaged by thespring pressed pawl 29 which is pivoted at 30 upon the rear of the clockand a tail 31 is provided upon said pawl arranged to be engaged by thetappet 32 upon the disk 33 which is arranged to be rotated in thedirection of the arrow shown in Fig. 3 by the operation of the alarm ortime mechanism in the usual manner.

A plunger 35 provided at its extremity with a switch member 36 isslidably mounted in the upper end of the tube 37 within which the wiresare enclosed, a coil spring 38 being provided around said plunger tonormally hold the switch member 36 out of engagement with the contactpoints 12 and 12*".

The operation of the device is as follows: Assuming that the clock 2registers about three minutes of two as shown in Fig. 1 and the driverdesires to park the machine for about an hour the time mechanism will beset for 3:00 oclock as shown in said figure and the plunger 23 will bedepressed as shown in Fig. 3, the spring pressed pawl 29 engaging thenotch 28 in said plunger and preventing the plunger from being raised.

As the plunger 23 is depressed the insulated head 27 thereon will engagethe arms 21 and 21" moving said arms downwardly out of contact with eachother breaking the circuit from the battery and magneto to the sparkplugs while at the same time the plunger 35 will be engaged by said head27 and moved downwardly, moving the switch member 36 into engagementwith the contact points 12 and 12 closing the circuit from the batteriesto the solenoid, energizing said solenoid and drawing the armature 14thereof inwardly against the tension of the spring 1% closing the valve17 in the inlet manifold.

The ignition will thus be cut oil and the supply of gas to the cylinderswill be shut off and the parts will remain locked in this position untilthe predetermined time for which the time mechanism is set at which timethe time or alarm mechanism will opcrate in the usual manner rotatingthe disk 33 in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3, the tappet 32thereon engaging the tail 31 of the spring pressed pawl 29 moving saidpawl downwardly out oi. the notch and allowing the spring 26 to throwthe plunger 23 up into the normal position, the springs 22 raising theswitch arms 21 into engagement with each other while the spring 38willraise the plunger 35 moving the switch member 36 out of engagementwith the contact points 12 and 12, closing the circuit from the batteryand magneto to the spark plugs and opening the circuit to the solenoid,the spring 1 h moving the armature thereof into the position shown inFig. 5 opening the valve 17 and allowing the admission of gas to thecylinders.

I claim:

1. In an electric circuit, a switch comprising a pair of spring pressedarms, a. second switch including aspring pressed switch member, aplunger provided with an insulated head and arranged to be depressed toengagesaid spring pressed arms and said spring pressed switch member tooperate both of said switches, means for holding the plunger in thedepressed position and a time operated mechanism arranged to engage saidmeans to release the plunger at a predetermined time.

2. In an electric circuit, a pair of switches, means for holding oneswitch normally open and means for holding the other switch normallyclosed, a plunger arranged to be depressed to close the normally openswitch and open the normally closed switch, a spring pressed pawlarranged to hold the plunger in the depressed position and a timeoperated mechanism arranged to engage said pawl to release the plungerat a predetermined time.

In testimony that I claim the above, I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ARTHUR WV. LYDA.

